And so we come to the final round of power rankings for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Of course, the eligibility period for the competition long since ended with Spain crowned world champions. On Oct. 26, the consensus best player in the world for last season will be announced.

Who exactly that might be seems far more up in the air than in most years. Twelve months ago, for instance, the narrative had swung irresistibly behind Ousmane Dembele. It did not matter that Mohamed Salah and Raphinha had better pure output. Dembele had a better story, the long-admired talent finally putting it all together and at just the right moment to be the best player in the best club side in the world. All the major honors — frankly, that’s just the Champions League — were his. 

If you are wondering why you are hearing so much from Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane in recent weeks, well it’s because they all know there are likely swing voters to be won before the deadline of Sept. 28. Neither they nor anyone else have an unassailable candidacy after a season of many excellent individual campaigns but few, if any, legitimately great ones.

Ballon d’Or nominee finalists: Lionel Messi, Harry Kane lead field; Rose Lavelle only American woman nominated

Chuck Booth

Advertisement

The very best performers of the club season did not take home that one extra trophy to buttress their campaign. Bayern Munich and Barcelona won their domestic leagues. Big whoop. The English champions almost exist as a counter to the individual qualities the Ballon d’Or glorifies. Arsenal won the league in spite of the absence of their star forwards, a triumph of depth and resilience that is unlikely to earn them many podium spots. Paris Saint-Germain repeated the league and Champions League double but half their strongest XI barely showed up in Ligue 1. Dembele can hardly repeat off around 2500 minutes for club and country last season.

As is always the case, the World Cup promises to warp voting. It clarifies little among the front runners. Kane and Mbappe had great individual tournaments but one of the Ballon d’Or’s three criteria is “team performances and achievements”. England and France fell short there. Yamal fulfills that but Spain’s triumph was one of the collective, the greatest prize in the sport won despite their forward struggling with injury.

Meanwhile, the best at the tournament do not sit easily in this ranking. Rodri might have held Spain together but his domestic season was hampered by injury. Lionel Messi’s historic standing was only buttressed by what he did as a 39-year-old, but your mileage may vary as to the significance of an MLS Cup-winning run beforehand.

This year more than most, then, there is no right answer. This, at least, is the least wrong I can offer. And we’ll end this preamble with a customary reminder: this is not a prediction for who will win the Ballon d’Or. If you want that, consult your preferred sportsbook, I guess. This is who ought to win it. You will probably disagree.

1. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England

Perhaps it was the endings to his tilts at the Champions League and World Cup that make it so hard to lock in on Kane as the best player in the world last season. If the 33-year-old really were that good, would he not have found a way to bend the biggest games in his direction? That semifinal against Argentina in particular was one of those late-summer Kane games where he looks too leggy to impact the game either in the penalty area or the midfield roles he drops into, usually with such success.

That’s one game though. There are another 64 where he was frequently spectacular. A remarkable 73 goals for club and country is the sort of output that belonged back in Messi’s prime years. The absolute biggest game may not have gone his way but Kane was unforgettable against the Ivory Coast, thrilling in both legs against PSG and incisive in putting Real Madrid to the sword.

Then there are the Bundesliga numbers. Gaudy output is the baseline for a Bayern striker against domestic opposition but still the only players to have bettered Kane’s 36 goals in 31 league games are Gerd Muller and Robert Lewandowski. The former won the Ballon d’Or, the latter probably would have if it had been awarded in 2020. There is no reason why Kane should not get it this time.

2. Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal

PSG were ultimately the best side in Europe last season and yet judging which of their players deserves the Ballon d’Or is a challenge. Ligue 1 might not demand much of them but it does feel unreasonable to reward a player who spent half his weekends watching on from the sidelines because his head coach can afford to save him for the trickier tests that come with retaining the Champions League. At some point there has to be a minutes restriction. If you’re not seeing the pitch for half of your team’s league minutes, then it is really hard to make a case for you to be one of the 10 best performers in the world last season. Either you were injured, unfortunate but still a disqualifying factor, or your team are not frequently playing opponents of a sufficient standard.

All of which is to say that Dembele, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes and even you Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, you’ve got to go. Yes, you looked like some of the best players in the world in the spring. It’s just that you had most of the autumn off. 

As for Vitinha, there’s a reason why he played nearly 4000 club minutes and only one other starter in the Champions League final cleared 3000. The Portuguese midfielder was the engine without which his side could not motor forward. Across Europe’s top five leagues, he ranked third for progressive carries per 90 minutes and second for progressive passes. Unlike most tempo setters in midfield, he also weighed in with crucial goals and assists, firmly establishing himself as the best midfielder on the planet.

3. Michael Olise, Bayern Munich and France

The sport’s assist king last season. If we consider domestic cups and leagues, European matches and the World Cup, then Michael Olise ended the year with 10 more goals laid on for his teammates than anyone else. The summer definitively proved that he could be the lead attacker in a frontline made up of some of the best forwards in the world, but then again, his form with Bayern Munich had shown as much.

In general, when we’re reflecting back on the season, we shouldn’t lean too heavily on expected goals and assists. What we’re really looking at is actual returns and if that meant a player was out over the skis, well, more power to them. Having said that, I mean, talk about separating yourself from the field.

4. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain

In pure output terms, Yamal, still just 19 years of age, was perhaps a little off the peak of Europe’s attackers, 37 goals and assists when Kane, Olise and Mbappe were all in the 40s or higher. Still, it was enough that a starring role in the World Cup might just have swung Yamal into top spot. Unfortunately, a biceps femoris injury put paid to the prospect of him showing more than flashes of his best self in the summer.

Unfortunately for Yamal, that was the story of his 25-26, where 96 days were lost to injuries that included a nagging groin issue in the autumn. That is among the most common problems faced by young footballers who are still growing into the bodies of seasoned athletes. On the evidence of when he was on the pitch, Yamal will be a Ballon d’Or winner when he has reached full physical maturity.

5. Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid and France

Here’s maybe the trickiest candidacy to get a read on. In terms of goal contributions, only Kane beats him, and when the lights shone brightest at the World Cup, Mbappe was phenomenal. By the time he retires, likely with at least two more tournaments under his belt, his high watermark for World Cup scoring might look a bit like Michael Phelps’ Olympic gold record or Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring titles.

For an individual award, individual output really matters. If the Ballon d’Or were about team performance, then you would have the ludicrous scenario where Real Madrid campaigned for Dani Carvajal to win the prize in 2024 if Rodri was going to get it anyway. After all, he was there for the Euro 2024 win and the Champions League too. That’d be mad. Aaah.

However, team success is one of the criteria and it’s one that needs to be at least partially weighed when you play for Real Madrid and France. You can’t make the Russell Westbrook 2017 case for Mbappe. His goals and assists need to lead to something. In the summer they very nearly did.

6. Gabriel Magalhaes, Arsenal and Brazil

A reminder once again that this is not a prediction. Gabriel Magalhaes probably is not going to make the top 10. The best odds you can find of him winning the Ballon d’Or are +6600, an implied probability of 1.5%. That’s defenders and this prize, folks. Only three of them have won it in history. Franz Beckenbauer is the only one to have managed it without winning the major international tournament of that year.

There is a reason for that. The most valuable and difficult skill in this sport is scoring goals. In the era of three points for a win, attack tends to deliver the biggest prizes. That’s what made Arsenal’s Premier League win so remarkable. It and the near miss in the Champions League final were built on one of the most exceptional defenses in the history of this sport, anchored by the brilliant Gabriel, whose blend of skill and tenacity made him the best Arsenal player last season.

With shot-disrupting qualities that are Victor Wembanyama-esque — 13.2% of shots Arsenal faced when Gabriel was on the field were blocked by their No. 6 — the man the Emirates Stadium calls the king of Brazil made it far harder for the other team to do that most valuable and difficult thing on the pitch. It takes something special for a defense to carry an injury-riddled team to a league title. That Gabriel anchored that something special merits a very high place in the final voting.

7. Luis Diaz, Bayern Munich and Colombia

Now, here’s a weird one. As what might broadly be viewed as the third attacker on Bayern Munich, it’s really hard to make a case for Luis Diaz winning the Ballon d’Or. Even he has been arguing that his teammate Kane should get it. “For me, he’s number one to win it,” Diaz said earlier this month. “Hopefully he gets it. We’re trying to make his case to win it.” 

What we are really arguing here is that Diaz was so excellent in his particular role that it makes him one of the 10 best footballers in the world last season. With 39 goals and assists combined, it is not that hard a case to make. Diaz was also an exceptional passer, an outstanding creator for others and vital at moving Bayern into dangerous areas. There are players below him in this list who have more of a case to have been the best player in the world but really no one ranked sixth, seventh or eighth is actually going to win the Ballon d’Or. Consider this a reflection on how impactful Diaz was.

8. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United and Portugal

The inverse of a player such as Diaz might be Bruno Fernandes, who took a far inferior team on his back and propelled them to levels that they would not have gotten close to otherwise. When Fernandes started moving through the gears in the back half of the season, Manchester United flew from midtable to the Champions League. 

Along with Gabriel, Fernandes is the player who tells the story of the great tactical trend of 2025-26 as well as anyone. Nine of his record-breaking 21 Premier League assists came from set pieces and for a time there might have been no attacking scenario more difficult to defend than Fernandes standing over a corner, lobbing it into a mass of bodies from which Casemiro would often rise the highest.

Manchester United’s big problem: When Bruno Fernandes isn’t brilliant, Red Devils are ordinary

James Benge

Advertisement

It wasn’t just set pieces for Fernandes, whose 99 open-play chances created were 22 more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues last season. For a sense of just how impactful he was, one need only observe how United are struggling now that he has come back down to earth.

9. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and Argentina

For these last two, the question really is how much importance you place on the World Cup. Obviously, it is the peak of the sport but what happens when you’ve spent the rest of your time playing at a level that ClubELO and Opta would consider to be a fair way below England’s second tier, at or around the level of the Norwegian, Ecuadorian and Swiss domestic leagues? If you’re as historically excellent as Messi, you’re probably going to look sprightlier and more incisive than those who have spent the preceding nine months slogging their way through the Champions League and European domestic seasons.

If that sounds like a means of diminishing Messi’s brilliance at the World Cup, it shouldn’t be. Being the best player on the runners-up at 39 is an exceptional achievement, one that only serves to reinforce his status as the greatest of all time. It also should have resulted in him being named player of the tournament. The Ballon d’Or, however, is awarded for the period from Aug. 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026. For too much of that, Messi was playing at a level that was simply beneath his talents.

10. Rodri, Manchester City and Spain

Somewhat as above, really. At the World Cup, Rodri was Rodri, the player who was so eminently worthy of winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or. When Spain had the ball, Rodri, now at Barcelona, was the man who moved them through the lines, who carried the ball almost as effectively as he passed it. When Spain didn’t have the ball, Rodri got it back for them.

Flashes of that Rodri had emerged as he stepped up his recovery from an ACL injury in his final months as a Manchester City player. He was brilliant for a half against Chelsea in January, the best player on the pitch when City beat Arsenal in the EFL Cup final. Even Pep Guardiola, however, knew that the “real Rodri” would not emerge until later on in the season. That puts a hard cap on where he can rank.

Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel has made it clear he wants to leave the club

Manchester United have two weeks to find a resolution with JJ Gabriel if they want to keep the highly-rated 15-year-old at the club. The youngster shocked the club earlier this month by asking to have his registration terminated by the United hierarchy.

The 15-year-old had been in line to make his Manchester United debut and feature against Brighton in the Carabao Cup, but was left out of the squad following the bombshell.

He hasn’t featured for any of the United youth sides since then, and has reportedly jetted off to Spain to hold talks with Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Gabriel turns 16 in two weeks time, on October 6 and he’ll then be eligible to be legally represented by an agent.

He’ll also be able to join a foreign club using his Irish passport and the Daily Mail claims super-agents Ali Barat and Jorge Mendes are keen on snapping up the youngster.

United are still hopeful that they’ll be able to convince the youngster they’re the right place for his development, though the club’s recent decline is said to be the main driving force behind the youngster looking for a move elsewhere.

The Old Trafford hierarchy are unwilling to bow to demands and rip up the youngster’s current contract, which expires at the end of the season.

If United were to terminate the youngster’s contract, they could earn as little as £300,000 in compensation when he could be worth millions of pounds in the years to come.

There’s also the caveat that Gabriel could launch an appeal with the Premier League or FIFA, to allow him to be released from United.

Sep 20, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) and second baseman Michael Massey (19) stand for the playing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Our Current Best Offers

Channel debug: betting

Our Current Best Offers

Channel debug: betting

India’s hopes of securing a historic esports medal at the 2026 Asian Games came to an unusual end after Mongolia’s late arrival for their eFootball Group F match resulted in a forfeit — a decision that ultimately left India out of the qualification spots.

Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo were awarded a 0-0 win after the Mongolian team failed to meet the stipulated check-in time at the Aichi Sky Expo Centre. However, because the match was recorded as a goalless forfeit, India gained no advantage in goal difference and were unable to progress from the group stage.

India had started their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan in the three-team group. Uzbekistan then defeated Mongolia in both the mobile and console games, recording 6-3 and 12-0 victories, respectively, to finish with a goal difference of +15.

That left India needing a strong result against Mongolia to keep their hopes of advancing alive. Instead, the decisive match was never played.

Why was India awarded a 0-0 win?

Patel, who represented India in the mobile category, explained that Mongolia’s team leader arrived three minutes after the designated check-in time.

The competition regulations meant the late arrival was treated as a forfeit, with the organisers awarding India a 0-0 victory rather than allowing the teams to play.

How did the result eliminate India?

The unusual nature of the result meant India received the points associated with a victory but none of the goals that could have improved their goal difference.

Sahoo, India’s console player, said the Indian team had, therefore, been left with a goal difference of zero, while Uzbekistan’s earlier victories over Mongolia gave them a substantial advantage.

The 0-0 forfeit also meant India could not qualify as one of the highest-ranked second-placed teams.

Thailand eventually took one of those spots after finishing Group B with a +3 goal difference, while Saudi Arabia secured another after recording a +2 goal difference in Group A.

India, Thailand and Saudi Arabia had each finished their respective group stages with one victory, but India’s goal difference proved decisive in the qualification calculations.

India protested the decision

The Indian contingent did raise an objection after the forfeit was awarded.

Sahoo said the players wanted to play the match rather than accept an automatic victory because playing could have given India the opportunity to improve their goal difference.

However, officials told the Indian team that the regulations required a forfeit because Mongolia had arrived late.

India were also informed that they could seek a review from a panel of judges by paying $500.

The Indian players decided against pursuing that option because, according to Sahoo, the regulations already clearly classified a late arrival as a forfeit, and the review would not necessarily have solved India’s qualification problem.

Why did India need a bigger winning margin?

Sahoo explained that the 0-0 forfeit was not sufficient for India to overtake the teams competing for the best second-place positions.

For India to remain in contention, he indicated that the walkover would have needed to be recorded with a much bigger scoreline, effectively giving them a significant boost to their goal difference.

Without that advantage, India remained on a goal difference of zero and could not progress despite being awarded the victory.

A major setback for Patel and Sahoo

The early exit is particularly disappointing for Patel, who arrived at the Asian Games as the reigning Asian eFootball champion.

Patel had won the mobile title at the FIFAe Continental Championship earlier this year, making him one of India’s strongest medal prospects in the discipline.

A deep run in Aichi-Nagoya could also have given Patel and Sahoo an opportunity to become India’s first esports medallists at the Asian Games.

India had failed to win an esports medal at the 2022 Asian Games, when esports featured as an official medal sport for the first time. At the 2018 edition, when esports was only a demonstration event, Tirth Mehta had won a bronze medal in Hearthstone

Gary Neville made a highly questionable claim about Manchester United’s performance at Fulham

Gary Neville came up with another incendiary soundbite during Manchester United’s 1-1 draw at Fulham.

Neville called the opening phase of the second half “the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen” from a United side. He added: “Absolutely pathetic. I’ve never seen such a lack of effort. What must [Michael] Carrick be thinking?”

It was certainly a poor passage of play from the team, but the worst 15 minutes since 1980 (around the time Neville, 51, would have started watching United)? It doesn’t stand up to scrutiny when you rate it against other collapses over the years. And, sadly for United fans, there were numerous examples in the recent past alone.

There’s an argument that it wasn’t even the worst performance of the week following the Carabao Cup capitulation against Brighton. Here’s a round-up of 10 more embarrassing collapses from United during the Premier League era…

10. Chelsea 4-3 United (April 4, 2024)

Leading 3-2 deep into stoppage time, United capitulated in the final minutes. Diogo Dalot conceded a penalty that Cole Palmer converted in the 100th minute, before Palmer scored a deflected winner 82 seconds later. United went from securing three points to a soul-crushing defeat in less than three minutes of injury time.

9. United 1-6 Tottenham (October 4, 2020)

After Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring in the second minute, United contrived to concede two quick goals before the 10-minute mark. Following Anthony Martial’s red card in the 28th minute, United hit the self-destruct button again, conceding twice more in 10 minutes to go 4-1 down by the break at an empty Old Trafford.

8. United 2-2 Sevilla (April 13, 2023)

Cruising 2-0 at home in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, United completely unravelled in the final 10 minutes. Tyrell Malacia scored an own goal before Lisandro Martínez suffered a season-ending injury, leaving United with 10 men having used all substitutions. Then, in the 92nd minute, a Youssef En-Nesyri header deflected off Harry Maguire into United’s net, completing a disastrous eight-minute spell.

7. Leicester City 5-3 United (September 21, 2014)

Louis van Gaal’s side were comfortably leading 3-1 against Premier League new boys Leicester before a soft penalty, scored by David Nugent, on 62 minutes triggered a total collapse.

Esteban Cambiasso equalised two minutes later and Jamie Vardy made it 4-3 before Leonardo Ulloa added a penalty after Tyler Blackett’s red card. United had conceded four goals in barely 20 minutes.

6. Arsenal 3-0 United (October 4, 2015)

United were blown away in the first 10 minutes. Alexis Sanchez back-heeled in the opening goal on six minutes and Mesut Ozil doubled the lead barely a minute later. Sanchez (if only he could have found that form at Old Trafford) hammered home the third before the 20-minute mark to end the game as a contest.

Advertisement

5. Southampton 6-3 United (October 26, 1996)

Six days after a 5-0 drubbing at Newcastle, United were thrashed again. The match was in the balance late in the second half with the Saints leading 3-2 but United fell apart after Roy Keane’s red card.

Amid a chaotic six-minute spell, Eyal Berkovic and Egil Ostenstad netted, Phil Neville put through his own net and Paul Scholes scored at the right end. A second heavy defeat in a row saw United become the butt of jokes for weeks. However, it was Ferguson’s side were laughing at the end of the season as they retained their title.

4. Manchester City 6-3 United (October 2, 2022)

Losing 1-0 at the Etihad, United conceded three goals in 10 minutes before half-time. Erling Haaland scored twice in quick succession, followed by Phil Foden’s second goal as the first half ended 4-0. A second-half fightback added a tinge of respectability to the scoreline but the damage had been done.

Advertisement

3. Brentford 4-0 United (August 13, 2022)

Early in Erik ten Hag’s tenure, United conceded four goals in the opening 35 minutes. The worst stretch came between the 18th and 35th minutes as 1-0 quickly became 4-0.

Mathias Jensen capitalised on a David de Gea error, Ben Mee bundled in a third from a corner and future United star Bryan Mbeumo finished off a rapid counter-attack. The match was followed by an anti-Glazer tirade from Neville and a feisty exchange with Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports.

2. United 4-4 Everton (April 22, 2012)

Thought Sergio Aguero cost United the 2011/12 title? It was arguably this late collapse against Everton instead.

United looked comfortable at 4-2 until Nikica Jelavic pulled one back in the 83rd minute following a mix-up between Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans. Just 120 seconds later, Steven Pienaar scored an equaliser. City beat United a week later to go ahead on goal difference. You know the rest.

1. Liverpool 7-0 United (March 5, 2023)

This has to be the collapse against which all others are judged. This day of hell at Anfield featured more than one.

Trailing 1-0 at the break, United were still in the game, only to concede twice in the first 15 minutes of the second half. It was 4-0 midway through the second half, which was bad enough. But three more goals inside the final 15 minutes condemned United to their heaviest defeat since Boxing Day 1931.

David Benavidez is set to compete in a three-belt cruiserweight unification clash in December, but now one sanctioning body is seeking clarity on which division ‘The Mexican Monster’ seeks to remain at. 

Benavidez moved up to light-heavyweight back in 2024 and he defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk on his divisional debut to get his hands on the WBC interim title, then capturing the WBA (Regular) title at 175lbs with a win over David Morrell in the fight that followed.

The Phoenix fan-favourite was then elevated to full WBC light-heavyweight world champion and he defended both that and his WBA Regular title against Anthony Yarde, before moving up to cruiserweight this year and halting Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez to capture the WBA (Super) and WBO 200lb world titles.

Now, it is believed that Benavidez has u-turned on plans to return to light-heavyweight, in favour of making the switch to cruiserweight a permanent one – opening the door for two Brits to potentially compete for the WBC 175lb world title.

With that in mind, the WBA have today requested official confirmation from Benavidez as ‘to clarify which title he intends to continue campaigning for’, presumably to allow them to strip him of the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title in the near future.

The WBA Championship Committee has requested David Benavidez to clarify which title he intends to continue campaigning for, following his achievement of becoming a champion in two weight classes, holding the WBA Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight titles.

— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) September 22, 2026

“The WBA Championship Committee has requested David Benavidez to clarify which title he intends to continue campaigning for, following his achievement of becoming a champion in two weight classes, holding the WBA Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight titles.”

Venezuela’s Albert Ramirez currently holds the WBA Interim light-heavyweight title and could soon be elevated into position as the new WBA (Regular) titleholder, should the WBA wish to extinguish their interim belt at 175lbs.

Jai Opetaia is continuing his mission to take over the cruiserweight division, but former promoter Eddie Hearn believes that he has the man to disrupt Opetaia’s momentum and hand the Aussie his first defeat.

Opetaia was stripped of his IBF cruiserweight title for the second time shortly after he announced his switch to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing earlier this year, but the hard-hitting southpaw remains as the lineal champion, with his 31-fight undefeated record intact.

This year, despite launching a lawsuit against the IBF, Opetaia has refused to let out-of-the-ring politics impact his activity inside of it, fighting twice in 2026 and overcoming both Brandon Glanton and more recently Noel Mikaelian.

That victory over Mikaelian could be set to tee up a three-belt unified cruiserweight world title shot next May, against the winner of December’s clash between WBA and WBO titleholder David Benavidez and WBC champion Michal Cieslak.

Although, Hearn told The Stomping Ground why he will soon be pursuing a fight between Opetaia and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Pat Brown, who became the British champion in just his seventh pro contest on Saturday night.

“Because of what has been happening with me and Jai, I would love to see Pat go in there and dismantle him, if I am being honest with you.

“But [whilst] Jai is a great fighter, he gets hurt a lot by small punchers. Mikaelian is not a big puncher and he hurt him repeatedly in that fight. 

“If Pat Brown hits Jai Opetaia on the chin, it will be over and he will finish him, but Pat has had seven fights. I believe that he can beat him now, we are not going to fight him now, but we want him next year.

“The only problem is that Jai Opetaia doesn’t have a world title and we want world titles.”

Advertisement

Alternatively, Brown may well target fellow British cruiserweight Viddal Riley in 2027, with Riley expected to compete with David Nyika for the vacant IBF cruiserweight world title in the near future, unless Opetaia is reinstated as world champion.